The furnishings recently adorned the 87-room St. Ignatius Retreat House in North Hills.

"This is a piece of Long Island being auctioned off," said auctioneer Amy Papola of Manhattan. "These types of homes are rare, and very few are left."

The 72,000-square-foot mansion, also known as Inisfada -- Gaelic for "Long Island" -- was built by Catholic philanthropists Nicholas and Genevieve Brady in 1920. It was later donated to the New York province of the Society of Jesus, which turned it into a seminary and retreat house.

In July, the Jesuits sold the Elizabethan-Tudor-style estate for $36.5 million to the Manhasset Bay Group Inc. The development firm has refused to comment on its plans for the property, but area officials said the group wants to build 66 upscale single-family homes.